Hareline Kiley’s Nymph Skins

Description:

What it is

Kileys Nymph Skins is a latex nymph skin strip material you cut to width and lay over a body or wrap as the body itself. Its thick, durable, and stretchy, so it pulls down tight and conforms to whatever underbody you build, giving a realistic, buggy finish.

What to tie with it

Use it for wing cases and shellbacks on nymphs by tying it in at the bend, building your dubbing or chenille underbody, then stretching it forward and locking it down at the thorax. You can also wrap it as a standalone body material for segmented looks on larvae and worms, or use short sections as a back over a tapered body.

Flies and the fish they're for

Its right at home on scud patterns for trout and panfish in spring creeks, tailwaters, and stillwaters where scuds are a staple. On caddis larva and caddis pupa patterns its a clean way to get that cased, translucent-back look that trout key on in freestones and tailwaters. It also fits stonefly and crane fly nymphs for trout in faster rocky rivers, and it makes a durable outer skin on worm patterns that get eaten by trout in high or off-color flows.

How it compares

Compared with Hareline Scud Back, it covers similar wingcase and shellback jobs but this material is thicker and has more stretch, while Scud Back is thinner and less stretchy. Scud Back comes in two sizes, while Kileys Nymph Skins is sold as inch strips you cut to match the bug youre tying.